Application and comparison of two risk assessment methods in workplaces with dust exposure

Objective Two risk assessment methods were used to assess occupational health risk of dust in various workplaces and the results were compared to explore the applicability.

Methods The workplaces with dust exposure in an automobile manufacturing enterprise, a furniture manufacturing enterprise and a coal wharf in Guangzhou City were chosen as the study subjects and the field investigation and monitoring on dust in these workplaces were carried out. The semi-quantitative comprehensive index method recommended by "The guidelines for occupational health risk assessment of chemicals in the workplace(GBZ/T 298-2017) " and the quantitative method of the "International council on mining and metals"(ICMM) were used for occupational health risk assessment. The risk classification results of these two methods were compared and analyzed.

Results The semi-quantitative comprehensive index method showed that the welding dust in the workplace of carbon-dioxide arc welding in automobile manufacturing enterprise was ranked as low, that the coal dusts in workplaces of loading and unloading, routing inspection, piling and taking and sweeping in coal wharf were ranked as low, that welding dust in workplace of resistance welding was rank as medium, and the dusts in the workplaces of cutting, edge milling, trepanning, levigation, processing in furniture manufacturing enterprises were ranked as high. The ICMM method showed that the welding dust in automobile manufacturing enterprise was ranked as potential risk, that the coal dusts in coal wharf were ranked as very high risk, and that dusts in furniture manufacturing enterprises were ranked as intolerable level. The evaluation results of ICMM quantitative method were mostly higher than those of semi-quantitative comprehensive index method.

Conclusion Both methods can appropriately predict and assess the occupational health risk of dust. The comprehensive index method takes into account of the health effects, exposure conditions and operating conditions, and can comprehensively and accurately assess the occupational health risks caused by different dust.